


Machine Hearts

by QueenAkito



Series: Heroes By Choice [1]
Category: Splatoon
Genre: Attempted Murder, Backstory, Dodge-rolling without Dualies, F/F, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-13
Updated: 2018-08-10
Packaged: 2019-05-06 00:27:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14630198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenAkito/pseuds/QueenAkito
Summary: Life in the underground was never easy.Everybody had a place.Everybody had a purpose.Everybody knew what they were fighting for.Everybody believed it...--This story follows my version of Marina's backstory, from one year before the events of Splatoon 1 up through the start of Splatoon 2.*Minor spoilers for Octo Expansion*~Aki





	1. The New Teal Light

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: 6/17/18:  
> This chapter has been updated to reflect new information gained from the Octo Expansion DLC, and honestly... not a lot needs changing in order to stick close to the canon LOL I am actually really stunned at how most everything that was revealed about Marinas backstory lines up almost flawlessly with what I was going to do anyway! :'D
> 
> Big changes to note;  
> Octo Depths has been renamed to Slimeskin Depths  
> Edaline has been renamed to Idalia  
> Dialogue and inner-monologues have been altered to better reflect Marinas canon backstory
> 
> Other than that, things will pretty much proceed as planned :D  
> ~Aki

Life in the underground was never easy. For nearly one hundred years, Octarians had endured life under the rocky earth and attempted to rebuild what was left of their fragmented civilization.

After losing the Great War, those that remained were tasked with finding order and balance in this new world of darkness and water. The army became the center of everything; as it was the common ground that could bind those that were still alive and give them a continued purpose to live.

Seven soldiers were chosen to be leaders; to act as the lights that would guide the people through the dark, and to be the ones to carry hope back from the ashes of failure. Each member took up a unique colour, which reflected the spectrum of visible light: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Teal, Blue, and Violet.

They, along with Leader Octavio, created a strict social order to build their new life upon. Everyone had an established, organized place where they could further the collective goal of returning to their former glory to the best of their abilities. 

For many, time was fluid. There was little in the way of discerning day from night, week from week. Every 'day', soldiers would carry out their assigned tasks without pause, all working to try to make life a little bit easier for themselves and for those around them. 

Most have never seen the sky, or breathed any air beyond the damp, recycled oxygen that was pumped through various machines that linked the underground settlements.

The old who had survived from the time before the war dreamed of seeing the surface again, while the young listened to stories of how things used to be, and dreamed to see that world for themselves someday. 

As time went on, cities were built, and life became routine. Everyone knew the roles they were expected to fill, and they carried out their lives in the service of their eight leaders. 

At the heart of everything, within the deepest bowels of the underground, the capital city of Slimeskin Depths was built. This area was said to be the safest place in the underground, and thought to be impossible to be attacked by Inkling invaders, though it wasn't without it's own inherent dangers...

\--

The day the news came in still felt like a blur. One moment, everything was exactly as it should be in Marina's world, and in the next moment it was like she transcended to a whole new plain of existence. 

“It was a rock slide,” someone had told her, their face shadowed in mourning even through their steel goggles. “We tried to get everyone out in time, but it all happened so fast... I'm sorry, ma'am. There was nothing else that we could have done.”

It was impossible to respond as shock and horror dissolved into a stark numbness. No one really expected her to respond coherently that day, it seemed, as soldiers came and left, each murmuring words of empathy and sorrow. Time only seemed to move forward once more when a particular visitor stepped before her.

The Octoling was of average height and build, with long black hair which faded to red at the ends. She had darker than average skin (though not quite as dark as Marina's own) and olive green eyes. She wore a simple black shirt, dark brown pants, a striking golden chest-plate which protected her most vital organs, and a flowing red cape which gave off an impression of royalty.

Marina blinked slowly, before instinctively kneeling and placing her hand over her hearts; a sign of submission and respect. “Lady Alayla.” she murmured with practiced ease.

“Rise,” Alayla told her calmly. She waited until Marina obeyed the command before speaking again. “I would like to offer my sincerest condolences for this tragedy. Idalia was a dear, personal friend of mine for many years.”

“It's an honour to hear such kindness, my Lady,” Marina murmured, her voice rough and quiet. “My mother thought very highly of you, and of all you've done...she... she always told me how much of an honour it was to serve as the Teal Light...” she trailed off, suddenly looking lost. 

A great sadness welled up inside of her. It was as if speaking the words out loud suddenly forced her to acknowledge that this was, in fact, real. Without warning, she collapsed to one knee as a series of sobs escaped her all at once. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt shameful for putting on such a display in front of her superior officer, but there was no reigning it in now that the dam had broken.

Alayla watched the younger Octoling silently for a moment, before kneeling and placing a firm hand on her shoulder. “Losing a mother is something no fifteen year old should have to endure,” she told her evenly, her voice almost gentle. “I had intended to discuss important matters regarding your mother, and your own future, but it's clear that doing so now will be fruitless. Take the rest of the week to clear your head and adjust to this new life. I shall return here at the dawn of the new week, and then we may discuss plans to move forward.”

Marina nodded silently, unable to form words as she desperately tried to compose herself. She knew exactly what plans Alayla was talking about. With her mother, Idalia, now deceased under the fallen rocks, the council would need to select a new person to fill the role of the Teal Light; the head of mechanical engineering and inventing within the confines of the underground. Idalia had always expressed a desire for Marina to take up that role when the time came, even if no one expected that time to be so soon.

Alayla remained where she was for a second longer, before releasing Marina's shoulder, standing, and leaving without another word. 

The silence of the room echoed the sound of soft crying back at the black-haired Octoling, even as she forced herself to her feet and attempted once again to compose herself. Crying so openly was disgraceful for an Elite Soldier, and the fact that the second-in-command of the entire army just bore witness to that disgrace burned at Marina's pride. 

\--

Four days had passed since the news came in, and despite what Alayla had told her to do, Marina found that she couldn't bear just sitting at home and wallowing in her grief any longer. She'd spent much of the time crying or sleeping out of sheer emotional exhaustion, and the tears eventually subsided and were replaced with an everlasting numbness. 

There was work to be done at the shop, though, and the black-haired Octoling felt wrong just wasting away alone. At the very least, getting out would hopefully give her something of a distraction from everything else. 

Her hands constantly twitched and yearned to be productive in some way, and so she decided to give in to the desire and make a quick trip down to her place of employment. Even if she didn't do any mechanical work, she could at least make a start on sorting through her mothers office.

Stepping into Slimeskin Machine Works, the central mechanical facility of Slimeskin Depths, was both a balm to Marina's soul and a knife to her heart. The sounds of Octolings working, the hum of the robotics, the smell of oil... they were familiar and comforting. Evidence of her mother's brilliance was everywhere, though, and picked at the open wound left behind by her passing.

Every machine in this building had been created by Idalia's hands, including a handful of massive mechanical titans that were currently strung up to the ceiling by wires. Various lower-ranking Octolings were looking those machines over and working to continue their construction. 

Idalia had designed all of the titans with the express purpose of destroying Inkling invaders, and Marina had watched them be built up from a dream, to a plan, to a prototype product, to a final product. Idalia had kept her involved through the entire process, and made sure to teach and explain every step along the way. 

Not that she particularly needed to; given the fact that Marina had been working to design and build weapons and machines since she was ten years old, but it was still nice to be involved in her mothers own personal projects. The two of them often treated the activity like a bonding experience rather than work.

There were four titans in total; each with wildly different designs. One resembled a cube, one a nozzle, one a spiked clam shell, and the final a fish with extremely large teeth. They all sat in patient dormancy for the time being, and Marina couldn't help but let her gaze linger upon them. 

They weren't the first Great Octoweapons she'd seen; far from it. She had been personally involved in upgrading and designing titans of her own for several years at this point, but these four were particularly special to her, because they had been special to her mother. 

Idalia poured every ounce of passion and creativity into crafting them, and while they could certainly still be upgraded and refined, that didn't take away from the fact that they were her mother's robotic prides and joys.

Suddenly, a flash of yellow entered Marina's peripheral. She blinked and stared with wide eyes as the sight of another Octoling filled her vision, and her hearts skipped a beat when she realised who was stood before her.

This Octoling was fairly tall and lanky, with bright yellow hair that seemed to sprout out in endless directions. She wore a fairly revealing black and gold top, with short black shorts, pale pink leggings, and black combat boots. 

“Lady Errita!” Marina squeaked, suddenly feeling as though she was a child whom had been caught taking extra food. She knelt before the other Octoling, placing her hand over her hearts in a sign of submission and respect, as she had done towards Alayla. 

Errita giggled, grinning down at the other woman. “Well, she had a feeling you'd stop by before weeks end. I thought it'd be even sooner, to be honest!” she chirped, humming a bit. 

Marina felt her face flush hot with embarrassment. “Please give my deepest apologies to Lady Alayla. I just... I would like to attempt to be productive in some way. It feels wrong to have my mother's workers here carrying on with their tasks while I am allowed to hide away.”

“Yeah, pretty sure she expected nothing less. I kinda wonder if she was hoping to see this type of reaction...” Errita mused, grinning to herself. “Well, who knows. I'll pass the message along later. Anyway, you can get up.”

Marina nodded and stood, before glancing at Errita and speaking again. “Forgive my inquiry but... um... what are you doing here, Lady Errita? I thought that your work took place elsewhere in the city?”

“Mmhmm, yep!” Errita nodded. “Not a lot I'm doing right now though, till the DJ gets to look over my latest songs and tells me what he wants doin' with them, so Alayla told me to hang out around here instead and make sure things are still getting done.”

“Oh... I see,” Marina murmured. 

It was entirely strange to be speaking so casually with this Octoling. Though not much older than Marina herself, Errita had recently been promoted to the council of The Light, taking up the position of the Yellow Light after its former holder, Galyna, passed away the year before. This made two members of the council that she'd spoken to personally in the past several days. She wondered if they simply pitied her because her mother used to be among their ranks, or if they too wanted her to take her mothers place.

“So, whatcha hoping to do here today, then?” Errita asked, bouncing a bit even as she stood still. “Her Red Grace told me to keep an eye on ya if ya did show up.”

“Lady Alayla said that?” Marina asked, bewildered. 

For what purpose would the highest-ranking Octoling in their world be concerned with Marina's well-being? If grief made her act rashly and hurt herself, there were still so many options available for a replacement for Idalia's spot in the council.

“Mmhmm.” Errita nodded, though she didn't elaborate further.

“Well...um... is there anything in particular you'd like for me to do, my Lady?” Marina asked awkwardly. 

Normally she'd just go and start working on whatever needed her attention, but if a member of The Light was to be with her during her time here, she'd need to make sure not to offend or displease her in any way.

Errita shrugged, her lopsided grin never leaving her face. “You tell me, soldier. I don't know anythin' about mecha stuff, so I'm up for whatever.”

“Understood, ma'am.” Marina nodded, surprised by the casual response. 

She always imagined that every member of The Light would be serious and leaderly like Alayla was, but this girl seemed to be completely the opposite of that mental image. Then again, Idalia was never all that serious-natured either, most of the time.

Marina walked further into the mechanical bay, and it wasn't long before the other Octolings noticed. Many were surprised to see her, while others excitedly shouted to her while clapping, and it wasn't long before the entire area erupted with applause. 

Marina paused, stunned at the response. Did the others really miss her that much in the few days she'd been gone? Before she could think too much about it, two Octolings in particular darted over to her. 

They were both fairly tall Elite Soldiers, both with pale skin. One had long hair, while the other had short. The most striking thing about the pair was that their faces, green eyes, and purple eye markings were completely and perfectly identical to one-another.

“You're back!” the long-haired Octoling exclaimed. Without warning she dove at Marina, hugging her fiercely. “We've missed you!”

“Hello to you too, Iwalani.” Marina yelped, lightly returning the gesture after a moment. If not for her metal chest-plate, the dark-skinned Octoling would have certainly been winded by the crushing embrace.

“Stop that, you're embarrassing us in front of Lady Errita,” the short-haired Octoling scolded, grabbing her sister by the back of her chest-plate and yanking her off of Marina. She glanced at Errita, who seemed to be staring off into space and humming to herself, completely ignoring the group. She looked back to Marina then, and her gaze softened as she took in the dark-skinned Octoling's tired, weary face. “So... how're you holding up?” she asked gently.

“About as well as expected, I guess,” Marina shrugged, before quickly changing the subject. “What's been happening around here lately, Nephthys?”

“Not a lot, really,” Nephthys told her with a shrug, still holding onto the back of Iwalani's chest-plate tightly, even as the other Octoling squirmed around and attempted to break her grasp. “Just been carrying on with the finishing touches on the Octostomp's latest modification. I think it'll be ready for full testing in the next few weeks. The other three are still a few months off from that. Other than that everyone's just been wondering who's going to be chosen to become the new Teal Light. I know that Lady Alayla came to visit you before, but no one was sure if that meant it was going to be you or not. Given your track record so far, I wouldn't be surprised if they were interested in you.”

“Zenais has been super bossy and annoying since you took some time off,” Iwalani added, still attempting to squirm free. Nephthys suddenly let go of her just as she tried pulling forward, causing her to yelp and flail a bit to keep from falling. Iwalani cast a glare at her sister, who merely smirked and said nothing. She looked back to Marina then. “Maybe she'll get off her high seahorse now that you're back.”

“Hopefully,” Nephthys agreed. She crossed her arms and glanced around, before lowering her voice a bit. “To be honest, I think she wants to have a shot at the open council spot...”

“Just what was everybody making noise about over here?!” a shrill voice cut through the air, echoing a bit.

“Oh, speak of the devil...” Nephthys muttered, glancing over.

Marina glanced over as well, seeing another Octoling walking through a concrete archway. She had long black hair and blue eyes, with purple markings around her eyes. She looked annoyed, until she noticed the group of four; her eyes immediately locking onto Marina's own and widening with surprise. 

“Well well... welcome back, Marina.” Zenais said smoothly, walking over to the group. 

“Zenais,” Marina said evenly, subconsciously straightening her posture and looking the other woman square in the eye. “I hear you've been running things for the past few days.”

“Well, someone had to,” Zenais responded calmly. “Her Yellow Grace allowed me to issue orders to the others and keep things moving, since I know what needs to be done on a daily basis around here.”

Marina's eyes narrowed slightly at Zenais's tone, but before she could say anything the other Octoling continued speaking. “So... Lady Alayla visited you personally a few days ago, I hear. What an honour. Has she come to a decision about who will take dear Lady Idalia's place in the council?”

It would be so easy to lie and say that Lady Alayla had indeed made a choice, just to antagonize Zenais, but Marina didn't have the energy for mind games after everything that happened, and so she simply shrugged and shook her head. “I'm going to meet with her at the dawn of next week, and we'll discuss it from there.”

“I see. And do you want to take your mother's place, then?” Zenais asked curiously, leaning ever so slightly closer.

“Oh lay off the questions, Zenais. She's been back for five minutes! Give her room to breathe!” Iwalani snapped, stepping forward to give Zenais a sharp glare.

“Touchy touchy,” Zenais muttered, rolling her eyes slightly and leaning back. “I don't believe I was speaking to you. The two of you should be working anyway, shouldn't you?”

“Like you can talk!” Nephthys laughed sarcastically. “All you've been doing the past few days is bark orders at everyone like you've got a right to do it!”

“Uh... I do have a right to do it,” Zenais drawled, looking unimpressed. “I was given permission to keep the shop running smoothly.”

“Enough, all of you!” Marina snapped then, rubbing her head. As if they were all stood here arguing like children in front of a member of The Light! At least Lady Errita didn't seem too interested in anything that anyone was saying, but still... “Zenais, I don't know what's going to happen, so drop it and get back to work. You two also. I'm going to head up to my mother's office and sort through her things, if anyone needs me.”

“Sure,” Nephthys agreed immediately. Iwalani looked like she wanted to say more to Zenais, but one glance at her sister had her falling silent and nodding as well.

Before Zenais could reply, Marina walked away from the group briskly. Her head hurt a bit, but she ignored it and swiftly made her way up several flights of stairs to a large concrete room that overlooked the entire mechanical bay. The silence of this area was blissful, and Marina couldn't help but sigh in relief to be away from everyone for a bit, even though she'd only been back for a few minutes.

Clicking on the light switch, Marina took a moment to simply stare into the silent space. She'd been in this room a million times in her life, but never before had it felt so... empty. It was as if the room itself was sitting in silent mourning for the creator that it would never see again. 

Running her fingers along the edge of the window that looked over the mechanical bay, Marina recalled spending so much time growing up simply watching machines being built, asking endless questions about the process (interrupting Idalia's work in the process, but never realising it until later on), waiting for the day when she'd be old enough to get involved with everything... those days felt like a lifetime ago now.

“Well, that was interesting,” Errita chimed in innocently after a moment, effectively breaking the silent melancholy that had once again started to grow within Marina's heart. “Do all of your workers feel as though they may argue with each other so openly?”

Marina felt her face flush hot with embarrassment as she snapped back to the present. So Errita was paying attention after all? “Forgive me, my Lady. I assure you that things like this do not happen often, and are quickly addressed whenever they do. My mother certainly never tolerated mindless squabbling.”

“Good to know,” Errita quipped. She wandered around the small office curiously. “So this was where Idalia worked... interesting!”

“If I may, were you close with my mother, Lady Errita?” Marina asked as she approached Idalia's desk. Papers, drawings, and 3D models were scattered around in piles of organized chaos on practically every available surface.

“Not really,” Errita told her. “I didn't get to see her much outside of council meetings. She mostly hung out with Xiomara and Isaura. Mara especially; they were always making plans to do things when they weren't busy.”

Marina nodded. “Yeah, I know they were close friends from way back.” she murmured, sitting down at the desk to have a look at what was left behind. 

\--

The rest of the week passed by reasonably smoothly and quickly. Marina continued to come to the shop every day and spent much of the time reading through reports, giving her opinions when lower-ranking Octolings came up to ask for her advice on various things, and putting unimportant items and documents into boxes to be put into storage. 

She found that while grief still weighed heavily on her soul, being able to just get up and do things every day relieved some of the pain and allowed her to begin to focus on the future rather than the past. She spent much of the time thinking about what she was going to say to Alayla; constantly going back and forth on the matter and trying to weigh all of the pros and cons that she could think of. 

Two days later, as expected, a brisk knock sounded on the office door just a few moments after Marina had arrived there herself. The dark-skinned Octoling stood and took a deep breath to calm herself, before opening the door and placing her hand over her hearts with a bowed head. “Lady Alayla.”

“Hello, Marina,” Alayla responded calmly, stepping into the room. “You look more alive today than the last time we spoke. That's good; it shows resilience.”

“Thank you, your grace,” Marina nodded, closing the door and making her way back over to the desk to sit down. 

She couldn't help but feel a stab of shame at the way she'd handled herself before this Octoling during the prior week. She was surprised that Alayla would still even consider her worthy at all after such a disgraceful display.

“Well, there's little point in wasting either of our time, so let's get straight into it,” Alayla told her calmly. “It was Idalia's very clear and long-standing wish that when the time came, you would be her successor.”

Marina nodded. “She said the same to me frequently as well.” she murmured.

Alayla nodded curtly, staring Marina square in the eye as she spoke. “I hadn't anticipated ever considering a fifteen year old to be given such a role, but your history speaks volumes. Never before have we had such a decorated and knowledgeable engineer at such a young age. Even if your mother had no influence in the decision, you would still be my first choice to succeed her.”

“Thank you, your grace.” Marina murmured respectfully, even as her hearts skipped a beat to hear such praise from such a high-ranking official.

“If you accept, you will be tested. If you pass the tests, you will be promoted to the Council of The Light and take up the teal ink colour. If you fail... well, you won't have to worry much about it, and another candidate will be selected.” Alayla carried on calmly, but carrying a tone of authority now.

Marina wasn't sure what Alayla meant by not having to worry much about failing, but regardless, she'd already made her choice. She wasn't sure what kinds of tests there would be, but if Alayla insisted that she would have been selected with or without Idalia's input, then Marina knew she had to go for it.

“I will humbly accept your offer, Lady Alayla. I will go through the council's tests, and will do my best to take up the role of the new Teal Light.” Marina told her confidently, even as a jolt of anxiety shot through her at the prospect of failure. She'd never been one to take failure well in anything she did, from schoolwork to mechanical design, and she knew that if she messed this up then it'd weigh on her soul heavily.

It wasn't as if she was going in completely blind, though. Marina was already a fully trained Elite Soldier (and arguably one of the smartest Octolings currently living in the underground), she already had a solid foundation of knowledge for what it took to run the machine shop, and she already had a solid foundation of what the council would require of her. The idea of actually being one of the leaders of her people was equally thrilling and terrifying, but she knew that if she didn't at least try, she'd live to regret it.

A slow, pleased grin stretched across Alayla's lips. “Excellent. Report to the chamber of The Light at noon tomorrow, and testing will begin... and bring your desired weapon with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featured Characters:  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Marina-Character-Sheet-753719807  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Alayla-Character-Sheet-753161373  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Errita-Character-Sheet-753410376  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Zenais-Character-Sheet-754528251  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Iwalani-Character-Sheet-757068837  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Nephthys-Character-Sheet-757069073


	2. Trials of The Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's been awhile. I totally wasn't procrastinating or anything.... owo
> 
> Since Octo Expansion came out, I've been gathering as much lore-related information as I could, and am beyond pleased to see that Marina's backstory really doesn't need to change a lot! This story will more or less move forward in the exact way that it was already going to, with only a few minor tweaks. If you didn't see it, Chapter 1 has already been fully edited to reflect the changes, so be sure to check that out! 
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

The following morning came faster than Marina imagined it would. She'd spent much of the previous day mentally preparing for whatever the council might have in store for her today. 

Idalia never really spoke about what types of testing new members of The Light had to go through, but Marina knew that worrying about it was counterproductive. All she could do was try her best and hope things went well. 

Strapped to her back was the weapon she'd decided to bring with her; something that Idalia herself had created, which she called the Octo Brella. It was unlike most other weapons, in that it was simultaneously offensive and defensive in combat. Marina figured that this unique feature would give her the best chance of handling whatever the council threw at her.

As she walked through the narrow stone and concrete pathways that linked the residential district of Slimeskin Depths to the main city, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. It was hard to believe only a week had passed since the rock slide. 

It still didn't feel real, but part of the training of an Octarian soldier was learning how to push away the negative emotions that were connected to tragic events in order to keep moving forward. Emotions were weaknesses reserved for children, her teachers had always drilled into her. They didn't solve problems. They only wasted valuable time.

The fact that she wasted four whole days the previous week was proof enough of that. Soldiers didn't need to feel; they only needed to act to fulfill the will of their leaders, and act to destroy the Inkling menace. 

If Marina ended up passing the tests and made it into The Light, she'd need to ensure that she never showed such weakness again. Her people deserved a strong leader, and if this whole thing worked out then she'd need to always make sure to put them first.

The massive screens pinned to the far-away, dome-like walls of the cave that surrounded Slimeskin Depths flickered a bit, but displayed bright golden-orange and blue hues which provided light that could be used to roughly measure time. 

As she walked towards the central district, Marina idly wondered (and not for the first time) if the screens showed what the real sky actually looked like. It was impossible to know, really. The massive glass plates showed different things as time went on; cycling from golden hues, to pale blue hues, to dark blue, and then back to gold again. Sometimes bits of white were floating among the colours, and other times not. 

This method of telling time was fairly new; having only been installed about twenty years prior. Before that, all the rock walls looked the same, the cities were only lit by their own buildings, and time had to be kept manually via small electrical devices that were installed in every home and places of business. Nowadays, technology had been advanced to the point where everyone had a handheld communication pad which could perform a variety of tasks, including keeping everyone on a uniform timetable.

Marina blinked and shook her head, snapping herself out of her wandering thoughts. Honestly, who cared what the real sky looked like right now?! There were far bigger things to be thinking about, and spacing out certainly wouldn't help her chances of making it into the council!

Accelerating her pace to a brisk sprint, Marina soon made it out of the residential areas and into the city's heart. The buildings in this area were far more high-tech than the living quarters; being made of steel rather than stone. Octolings and lesser Octarians populated the nearby areas, each going about completing whatever daily tasks they had to complete. 

Massive plants took up much of the available space between the buildings, in order to help recycle the finite oxygen that was present so far beneath the earth's surface, and to keep the carbon dioxide levels at a safe ratio. 

The air here was warm and thick with moisture from nearby geothermal power plants. Even after a hundred years, Slimeskin Depths was the only settlement to have a sufficient power source from the heated underground water pools. Every settlement was outfitted with additional light sources on the chance that they could get decent power someday, though, such as sky-screens and giant central lights. Idalia had mentioned in the past that the council was discussing ideas about how to bring electricity to the higher up settlements, but so far no concrete plans had been decided upon.

There was still some time before her appointment, and so Marina decided to stop off at a small food distribution center to pick up breakfast and to hear some of the recent news that was cycling through the city. She handed her ID card to the young Octoling in charge of running the venue, idly watching as her unique number was scanned into the system. 

In the underground, most things seen as necessities, such as food, clean water, and medicine were not controlled by any currency, but rather everyone was allowed a set amount each day, and how much each person received each day was logged into the network and tracked by their ID cards to ensure that everyone was being given only as much as they needed to survive. It was a crude system to be sure, but food and water were scarce, and so the council determined long ago that it was the best shot they had at the time to ensure that everyone could be kept alive until better, more plentiful resources were found. 

Marina sat alone and ate her small portion of cave mushrooms, cave carrots, and glow rats largely in silence. The parlor was mostly empty, and it seemed like not a lot of news was being discussed, outside of Idalia's passing. She set off again once it was closer to noon, as shown by the screens phasing to display a bright pale blue colour. 

Before long, a massive building came into view. It was decorated with lights and flags which reflected seven different symbols and colours, and its architecture was much more elaborate and fancy than that of the other buildings in the city center. 

A metal barrier encased the perimeter of the building, with a gate at the front. Armed Octoling guards stood before the entrance, each wearing seaweed-laced goggles and full armour sets with their weapons at the ready. When Marina approached the gate, the guards took notice and blocked her path.

“What business do you have here, soldier?” one of them demanded.

“I've been summoned by the council.” Marina told them calmly, once again handing over her ID card. 

One of the guards took it and swiped it through a handheld device. After a moment, the guard nodded to the others, who all stepped back. She handed the card back. “Very well. Follow me.”

The guard led her into the building. Marina looked around in awe, having never set foot in this place before. The ceilings were high and brightly lit, and the walls and floors were decorated with rare, shiny metals and stones in intricate patterns. On one wall was a giant mural that showed the Octarian leader, DJ Octavio, surrounded by seven bright flames of different colours. 

Before Marina could take notice of anything else, the guard stopped before a large door and motioned for her to go through. This room was quite large, and also elaborately decorated. The walls were metallic, with large paintings surrounded by bright lights. A round table crafted from polished marble sat in the middle of the room. Two Octolings were currently sat at it. They seemed to be having a conversation, but paused when they noticed her. 

One of them was quite tall, with long black hair that faded to bright royal blue at the ends and unique eyes; with the right eye being brown and the left eye being green. She wore a striking white lab coat, with a purple shirt and a black skirt underneath. 

The other was much smaller, with long, vivid orange hair and deep jade eyes. She wore a simple pale green dress, along with a carved and painted stone-pendant necklace in the shape of a heart. They both had light skin and purple eye markings.

Marina bowed her head to them respectfully. “Lady Xiomara, Lady Rhetta.” she murmured.

“Hello Marina,” Xiomara said calmly, standing and brushing the wrinkles from her lab coat. “The two of us will be handling your testing today. If you're ready, please follow me.”

“I am.” Marina nodded, masking her nerves with a confident tone of voice. 

She followed Xiomara out of the room, keeping an appropriate amount of distance between herself and the older Octoling as they started heading down the hallway. Guards were posted throughout the building, each silently staring at them as they walked. Marina did her best to ignore them and keep her body language strong, just like how Idalia always carried herself.

Rhetta walked past the two of them, before turning a corner and heading down a different hallway. “You know where to find me.” she said curtly, carrying on without a glance back.

Marina looked after her curiously, before glancing at Xiomara. The older Octoling merely carried on down the path they'd already been heading. Eventually they reached a door that had a blue flag pinned to the wall above it. 

Xiomara unlocked the door and stepped inside. Before them was a large cast iron kettle that was fixed to the ground. It was currently sealed shut, and was connected to a card slot and a keypad. The blue Octoling calmly inserted her ID and entered the code into the pad. The kettle's lid beeped, and then flashed green and opened.

Xiomara took her card back, and then glanced at Marina. “Follow me, if you please.”

“Understood, your grace.” Marina nodded. 

She watched as the older Octoling stepped over the grate, phased into the form of a bright blue octopus, and then vanished. Marina followed her example, quickly making her way through the tunnel. Traveling through the many tubes and pipe networks that connected different areas of the underground together was always exhilarating, despite the fact that it was pitch black and could cause motion sickness sometimes.

When Marina emerged from the tunnel, she was in an entirely new place. The inside of the room was lit with pale blue lights, and appeared to be a larger version of the standard doctors offices that were in the main wings of Kamabo Hospital. There was a desk stacked with papers off to one side, and a large bookcase against the far wall. Beside the bookcase was a glass cabinet that was filled with large containers of unknown chemicals and fluids. A few large medical machines were placed in the room as well, though they looked as though they'd barely been used.

Xiomara was already sat at the desk, waiting patiently. “It's been some time since you've been in my office.” she offhandedly commented.

“Yeah, it has.” Marina nodded, standing in the middle of the room to await her next orders.

Marina was a little bit more familiar with Xiomara than most Octolings her age, having seen her every so often when she'd gotten ill or injured through her childhood (being the daughter of a member of the council allowed for perks such as being allowed to see the head doctor of the entire underground, even when a lesser ranked doctor probably would have done just fine). 

“Before I hand you over to Rhetta, I'll need to check you over to make sure you're in good physical shape,” Xiomara explained, motioning for Marina to sit in a nearby chair. “Her tests aren't exactly kind to those who are in less than perfect physical condition.”

“Fun.” Marina grimaced. She could only imagine what that meant. 

Xiomara allowed a brief chuckle to pass by her lips, before beginning the checkup. She went through the standard set of tests; checking that Marina's hearts were beating at a healthy rate, that her blood and ink pressures were good, that her breathing was strong, and that her organ functions were normal. 

She also had the black-haired Octoling perform several physical tests, such as having her perform one-hundred pull-ups, push-ups, and jumping-jacks, before once again examining how her hearts and lungs sounded. 

The blue Octoling didn't speak during any of the tests, and Marina also couldn't help but notice that she didn't really make eye contact either. It wasn't her place to question these things, though, and so she simply did as she was told.

After about an hour had passed, Xiomara nodded to herself and marked some things down on a clipboard. “Well, Marina, I'm pleased to see that you seem to be in extremely healthy shape,” she told her evenly. “I'll allow you to rest for a moment, and then your real testing for the day will begin.”

“Thank you, your grace.” Marina said, bowing her head to Xiomara from where she stood. “Um... would it be pushing it to ask what types of tests Lady Rhetta will have me go through?”

“It would,” Xiomara told her, though her eyes and tone of voice were gentle. “I believe you'll be fine, though. You're carrying Idalia's blood in your veins, after all.”

“I would like to make her proud.” Marina said quietly, giving a firm nod of conviction.

Xiomara smiled a bit, and for a split second Marina thought she looked quite sad. The look was gone so quickly, however, that she couldn't be sure. The doctor then stood and walked back towards the kettle-tunnel, silently motioning for Marina to follow her.

\--

Back at the council building, Xiomara led Marina down the long hallway where Rhetta had gone earlier. The hallway was full of unmarked doors, each guarded by an armed soldier who watched their every move in cold silence.

Xiomara led Marina down a large staircase at the end of the hall that seemed to go down forever. Eventually they reached the bottom, and Marina stared in awe at the massive room she now found herself in. 

This place looked to be larger than the entire council building above it, and was filled from the floor to the ceiling with floating platforms, ink furlers, grind rails, launch pads, water traps (which Marina was certain contained deadly salt-water rather than safe fresh-water), and anything else an Octoling could possibly interact with. The floor and walls were both made from stone, and were largely unremarkable by comparison.

Rhetta was sat on a nearby platform, absently looking down at her communication pad and pressing buttons on its touch-screen. She looked quite bored, until she glanced up and noticed them. The orange-haired Octoling put the communicator away and gracefully hopped off of that platform, approaching them.

“Are we cleared to proceed?” she asked, looking at Xiomara.

“She's all yours,” Xiomara nodded. “She's in excellent health, with no obvious reasons why your tests shouldn't be fair.”

“Very well then,” Rhetta said, before turning her sharp jade gaze on Marina. “There will be four tests you must complete before you will be considered to be a member of the Council of the Light. Each test will stretch the limits of your stamina and endurance, and assess your skills as both a fighter and as someone who has the ability to make split-second decisions while under stress. Lets begin.”

“Yes ma'am.” Marina nodded, following the Orange Light as she led her towards the training equipment that had been set up in the room.

She'd only personally interacted with Rhetta once before, when she was close to graduating school. In the weeks before finishing their elementary training program, all young Octolings must have a meeting with the current Orange Light, where they discussed their skills and interests in order to determine which member of The Light they'd be best fitted to serve under. Given her remarkably advanced education, as well as her family, it was only natural that Marina would choose to join the Teal camp, and so her meeting with Rhetta had only lasted a few moments.

Rhetta stopped before a red steel bar. She glanced at Marina. “Wait here,” she told her curtly, before phasing into her octopus form and super-jumping away. She landed on a high platform that had a control panel and a microphone mounted to it. Flicking some buttons made the arena light up, and several areas of the course began moving in different patterns. Rhetta looked down at Marina then, speaking into the microphone now. “Test number one is simple; you must navigate through this obstacle course while hitting every single ink target along the way. You will have six minutes and thirty seconds to complete the course.”

“Six and a half minutes?” Marina muttered to herself, narrowing her eyes slightly. 

It seemed like a short time for such a massive course, but then again she knew that getting into the council wouldn't be easy, especially if this was just the first test! She took the Octo Brella off of her back and readied it, tensely watching the gate.

A moment later, a buzzer sounded and the red bar snapped open. Firing off several shots with her Brella, Marina phased into her octopus form and leaped onto the course without a second of hesitation, her green gaze darting around for the first target. 

It came into view after a moment; in the form of a small yellow balloon that was floating along an open platform. Marina leaped from the ink and shot it in one fluid motion, before creating a pathway and swimming up a large stack of boxes that were nearby. 

Suddenly several large piles of orange ink fell from the sky all around her, mixing with her own reddish-purple ink and obscuring her path. Marina jumped slightly, startled. She glanced up, seeing Rhetta sitting on the higher up platform, now holding an Octo Shot.

“Do you really have time to be looking at me right now?” Rhetta drawled, looking unimpressed. She fired off more shots, deliberately aiming for Marina.

Marina snapped herself out of it and swiftly dodged the shots that she could see while looking for the next ink target. This added a new layer of complexity to an already complex-looking obstacle course. The course itself soon ramped up the difficulty as well, as simple boxes gave way to bounce-pads, grind rails, ink furlers, spinning ink sticks, and grapplinks. 

Each new section had no less than four balloons to hit, and Marina had to continuously be aware of Rhettas attacks as well. The Orange Light was merciless, and refused to allow her even a few seconds to rest or think about her next moves. She even nearly splatted her once, due to Marina pausing for a moment to figure out how to safely cross a series of grapplings that stretched across a vast pit of water. 

Marina wasn't sure if there were any spawn pads nearby, but she found that she really didn't want to test her luck on that front. She found that her Brella was an extremely useful asset to have during this test, however, as she was able to use its defensive capabilities to fend off the older Octolings relentless attacks while simultaneously giving herself the time needed to figure out how to proceed forward safely and effectively.

The final section of the course included using an Inkjet to navigate through a large maze of narrow platforms that were blocked by stacks of wooden crates. Floating so high up in the air was always an exhilarating experience, and also mildly unnerving this time because straying off of the platform would mean taking a plunge into the deadly salt-water below.

Swaying back and forth to evade the orange ink that continued to fall from the sky, Marina made her way through the maze as quickly as she could. Suddenly a buzzer sounded again, and then again a second after that, and then another a second after that. It wasn't hard to figure out that this was signaling some kind of countdown, and Marina's hearts skipped a beat as she realized that her time limit was almost up.

Blasting the rest of the boxes away as quickly as she could, the black-haired Octoling threw caution to the wind and zipped around the maze as swiftly as she could. She tried to blast away boxes long before she reached them, and even chanced skipping over the open water between some of the platforms (the sudden drops between each of these stunts nearly giving her a heart attack every time, but it was better if she didn't mention that). 

The goal was soon before her, taking the form of a few pieces of glowing metal floating above a pedestal. Marina blasted the metal with ink, causing it to conform into the shape of a thick cylinder and stick to the pedestal. 

With the countdown buzzer still blaring in her ears, Marina took a leap of faith; phasing into her octopus form and abandoning the Inkjet mid-air. She reached out and touched the cold metal surface of the goal just as one more buzzer rang out.

Suddenly, everything went silent. It was almost surreal, how the entire course seemed to shut down and return to a state of dormancy. The black-haired Octoling could hear nothing above her own breathing and the frantic beating of her hearts. Did she do it? It was impossible to tell. 

Rhetta gracefully landed before her then, having super-jumped from where she'd been sat. She held her Octoshot still, and Marina felt her eye twitch slightly at the sight of it. Still, she phased back to her humanoid form and bowed before the Orange Light respectfully.

“Well done, Marina,” Rhetta told her evenly, a ghost of a smile gracing her lips. “You passed with exactly two seconds to spare.”

A rush of pure elation flowed through Marina at the news, and she couldn't hold back a wide grin. “Thank you, your grace!” she exclaimed, bouncing a bit. She'd managed to pass the first test!

Rhetta nodded, looking down at her calmly. “Do remember that this was only the first of four tests. Follow me and we'll begin your next task.”

“Yes, ma'am.” Marina nodded, standing and following the orange-haired Octoling. 

For as panicked as she'd been in the last section of the first test, Marina found that she still had quite a bit of energy left. It helped greatly that the final section had her wearing an Inkjet rather than running, which allowed for the recovery of a good chunk of her stamina. She'd need to remember to pace herself on the remaining tests. 

Rhetta led her across the stretch of concrete floor behind the obstacle course, and soon enough a vast circle of darker-colored flooring came into view. There were dormant spawn pads on either side of the circle, but otherwise there was nothing remarkable about the area.

“Your next task is quite simple as well,” Rhetta told her. “Run along the perimeter of the darker flooring four times, which equates to roughly two kilometers. You'll have ten minutes.”

“What's the catch?” Marina asked skeptically. After the obstacle course, a basic run seemed far too easy. She eyed the nearby spawn pads warily. They were switched off for now, but still...

“No catch that would concern those pads,” Rhetta told her smoothly. “Though, I'll ask that you leave your weapon here. You won't need it, as swimming through ink is prohibited on this test. This is purely to see how your endurance and agility hold up after the first test.”

Marina wasn't sure she believed her, but there was nothing else she could really say about it. She reluctantly handed her Octo Brella over to Rhetta before stepping onto the track. 

The older Octoling took out her communication pad and brought up a digital timer that was programmed into it. She tapped a few buttons, and then nodded to Marina. “Go.”

Marina nodded and took off, running along the very edge of the track as she was instructed to do. This was nothing new; running exercises were a regular part of every soldiers day from the moment they entered into the elementary training program right up through when they were fully fledged elite soldiers.

As she ran, Marina let her mind wander a bit. Running was always such a therapeutic, calming exercise. She took deep, measured breaths and maintained a constant speed so as not to get tired out too fast. Covering a distance of two kilometers in ten minutes was no easy feat, even for someone who was used to exercising daily. 

The first lap was completed relatively easily, only taking about two or three minutes. Like Xiomara, Rhetta didn't really speak during these tests, though Marina could feel the older Octolings sharp jade gaze locked onto her at all times. 

After the second lap was completed, Marina started to relax and even found herself spacing out a bit as she ran. She let her thoughts wander to her mother again. Since the incident, Marina hadn't been able to bring herself to visit the mines. She knew that she'd have to at some point though, and make sure everything there was still being cleaned out and stabilized. If the rocks were left unstable for too long, someone else could end up getting hurt or killed just as easily. 

Suddenly a flash of orange entered Marinas peripheral vision. She had a split-second to register the colour as being an ink shot and react to its presence, swiftly ducking her head down and rolling forward underneath the shot. She fluidly rolled back onto her feet and kept running, similarly to how she often did while battling.

“Reaction time of .28 seconds. Not bad. Carry on,” Rhetta said, putting her Octo Shot away again and glancing down at her timer. “You have four minutes remaining.”

“Would it be pushing it to tell you that you're kind of merciless, your grace?” Marina panted as she finished the third lap and started on the final lap. Speaking while running probably wasn't a good idea.

“It would, but thank you,” Rhetta replied curtly, though Marina could detect a vague hint of smugness in her tone. “For that, you have three minutes remaining. Better get moving.”

 _Shouldn't have opened my mouth!_ Marina thought, silently cursing herself as she increased her running speed. It'd be close now, but the black-haired Octoling thought she should still have time to finish before the clock was up. 

The next few minutes passed by in tense silence. When Marina crossed in front of Rhetta for the final time, the orange-haired Octoling pressed a button on her communication pad and nodded to Marina.

“You passed with over ten seconds to spare. Impressive,” Rhetta told her curtly. She put the pad away, before turning and walking away. Marina started to follow her, before Rhetta spoke again. “Stay here and take a moment to rest. I'll be back shortly.”

“Oh, uh... alright then?” Marina agreed, confused. 

She wasn't opposed to having a short break to recover some of her stamina, though she certainly wasn't expecting the chance. She picked her Octo Brella up from where she'd placed it earlier and strapped it to her back, before slowly walking around the general area. She figured it wasn't wise to sit down after running as she had been, as that could elicit a sickness response. 

Ten minutes later, the spawn pads that had been laying dormant suddenly flared to life in a spark of colour. Marina blinked, before looking around and seeing Rhetta returning from wherever she'd gone. The black-haired Octoling immediately knew what was coming next, just from the sight of the older woman.

Rhetta had changed out of her dress. She was now wearing a black tee-shirt, shorts, and standard combat boots. A polished sheet of reinforced metal was tightly fixed to her chest and back, and she wore a pair of shining steel goggles which had two long, flowing pieces of seaweed fixed to the top. She carried her Octo Shot with purpose as she approached.

“We're fighting, then?” Marina asked when Rhetta was in earshot. She did her best to hold a strong pose and appear as though she wasn't intimidated by the prospect. She'd fought plenty of strong Octolings before, so this shouldn't be any different, surely...

“Correct,” Rhetta said evenly. “Allow me to be clear here; there is no failing this test, even if I defeat you. Expecting you to defeat me would be unfair. This test is purely to assess your skill in combat, one-on-one. There is no time limit. We shall fight until one of us is splatted. Any objections?”

“No, ma'am.” Marina muttered. 

She knew that the jab in Rhetta's words was likely meant to rile her up. She'd have to stay calm and think clearly if she wanted any chance of winning. Even with the odds stacked against her, Marina still hated to fail in anything she did, and so she'd give it her absolute best shot. She wasn't about to go down without a fight, regardless of who her opponent was.

“Very well,” Rhetta nodded. “Stand in front of your spawn pad on the other side of the arena. When the buzzer sounds, the fight begins.” she told her, before walking over to stand in front of her own pad.

Marina nodded, walking towards her own spawn pad and readying her weapon. The power and skill of the council members was well known across the underground, so she'd have to be very aware of that as she fought. Putting her own goggles down, the black-haired Octoling tensely awaited the buzzer. 

The Octolings special goggles were developed even before the war started, and were designed to highlight and analyze those who had a different ink colour to her own, so that soldiers could easily identify enemies that they were battling against. It was a handy piece of technology to have during the chaos of a large battle, and ensured that one didn't accidentally attack her own teammates. In a one-on-one battle it wasn't quite as necessary, but it was still nice to have anyway.

Suddenly, the buzzer sounded. Both Octolings darted forward, covering as much ground as they could in their ink colours so that they could swim through it. Rhetta was slightly faster and crossed the center of the arena first, meeting Marina just past the line. 

Both Octolings leaped from their ink, firing of their weapons. Marina quickly switched between her Brella's offensive and defensive modes to try to block Rhetta's shots. Rhetta dove back into her ink and tried circling around behind Marina, before leaping from the ink and shooting at her again.

Marina hissed at the burning sensation of a glob of orange ink hitting her shoulder, before she dove into her own ink to wash it off and put some distance between the two of them. Rhetta took the brief moment to replace some of the reddish-purple ink on the floor with her own orange ink. The two colours stood out vividly against each other. 

Marina jumped from her ink and took the chance to go on the offensive. She took deep, measured breaths as she fought, though she couldn't deny that her muscles were beginning to burn. She still had one more test remaining after this as well. Rhetta definitely wasn't kidding when she said that these tests were designed to stretch the limits of her stamina and endurance. 

Rhetta swiftly dodged most of Marinas attacks, though she seemed unfazed by the few that made contact. This dance continued for some time, with each side attacking, evading, and defending at a fairly even rate. Rhetta was faster, but Marina's Brella defense came in handy more than once, as it virtually stopped the orange-haired Octolings attacks.

Marina was beginning to struggle, though. Moving around as quickly and aggressively as she was took a toll on her body, which was already tired out from the first two tests. She wasn't sure how much longer she was going to last in this match. 

The answer to that question came a few minutes later, when Rhetta managed to get behind Marina and pummel her with attacks from her Octo Shot.

“Shi-!” Marina gasped. Searing pain coated her skin for a second, before she broke apart and floated towards her spawn pad in the form of a small ghost.

“And that's match,” Rhetta commented offhandedly. She waited until Marina reformed at her spawn pad before speaking again. “You managed to fend me off for nearly ten minutes. Your skill in combat is admirable, and your weapon's defensive capabilities served you well. You wield the Octo Brella just as effectively as your mother did. You should be proud.”

“Thank you, your grace.” Marina murmured, bowing to Rhetta respectfully even as her pride burned. She knew going into the fight that she probably wasn't going to win, but she still couldn't help but be disappointed in herself. She felt like she had a chance to do it, if she'd been faster or more aggressive at certain moments. What was done was done, though. There was little point in thinking about what could have been.

“Take a moment to rest,” Rhetta said then, taking out her communication pad. “I'll check in with Alayla to ensure that the final test is set up and ready to go.”

Marina nodded, watching curiously as Rhetta walked out of earshot and quietly spoke into the pad. The black-haired Octoling took out her own communication pad, idly checking the time. She blinked, seeing messages from several of her co-workers. Glancing at Rhetta again, Marina saw that she was still talking to Alayla, and so she decided to open some of the messages. 

The first two were both familiar and supportive.

_Iwalani#82002456-1: You can do this, Mar! I believe in you; you'll make us proud! :D <3_

_Nephthys#82002456-2: Don't forget to breathe and focus, Marina. I know you'll do great. We'll see you when you get home. :)_

Marina smiled to herself warmly, easily picturing the looks on the twins faces when they wrote those messages. The two of them were always so kind and supportive towards her. Many of the following messages were similar; small pieces of encouragement and support from all different areas of the Teal camp. It seemed like a large chunk of them were on board with the idea of Marina becoming their next Light.

Marina was surprised to see that she even had a message from Zenais.

_Zenais#81003365: You'd better not blow this chance. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I won't forgive you if you waste it. We'll be waiting to hear good news._

Marina blinked slowly, before finding herself laughing and shaking her head. Zenais had such a way with words, but the underlying message was clear all the same.

“Thanks, guys.” Marina murmured to herself, smiling. She could practically feel the hearts of the Teal camp lending their strength to her own, as silly and illogical of a notion as that was.

Marina saw a flash of orange enter her peripheral, and she put her communicator away. Despite having only a few minutes to rest, she suddenly felt reinvigorated from the overwhelming amount of support from her friends and comrades, and she felt ready to face whatever task Rhetta would put her through next. 

“Your final challenge is fully prepared,” Rhetta told her evenly. “This last test is one that Alayla created herself, which she affectionately refers to as the Kill Maze. Please follow me, and we'll begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featured Characters:  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Marina-Character-Sheet-753719807  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Xiomara-Character-Sheet-754631276  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Rhetta-Character-Sheet-753247013


	3. The Maze

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again everyone, it's update time again! 
> 
> Before we begin, I'd like to direct everyone's attention to the fact that this story does have a "Graphic Depictions of Violence" warning on it, which will come into play during this chapter! Story tags will also be updated periodically as we move forward through the tale, and I'll always point out when new tags are added on, so please pay attention to those!
> 
> Without further ado, let's just jump into it~

Marina readied her weapon again as she followed Rhetta towards a large black kettle-tunnel that was sat on a large pillow towards the back of the room. Its size and colour gave an eerie, almost menacing aura. She figured that any task that was called a 'Kill Maze' would require further use of her Brella.

Rhetta unlocked the tunnel with her key-card, and then glanced at Marina. “Follow me.”

“Yes, your grace.” Marina nodded, obeying the Orange Light without question.

The tunnel led the two of them even deeper into the earth than they already were. The darkness seemed to stretch on forever, and Marina found herself wondering where exactly they were even going. It was impossible to track their location while in the tunnel. 

Eventually the two of them emerged in a small steel chamber. The room contained a simple steel wardrobe which sat beside a largely unremarkable door. The room was quite hot, and felt like it may be close to one of the underground pockets of heated water which fueled the capital's power grid.

“This is your final test,” Rhetta said calmly, walking over to the wardrobe and opening it. Within was a strange device, which resembled a backpack. It seemed to have an ink tank attached which was filled with pale, minty green fluid. “Put this on.”

“Alright...” Marina murmured, taking the device. 

She looked at it for a moment, trying to figure out what its purpose was. She'd never seen anything like it before, but there were no obvious signs about why she'd need a backpack which didn't even look like it could be opened in any way. Regardless, though, she'd been ordered to wear it, and so she knew that its purpose would become clear soon enough. 

Once the device was securely strapped on, Rhetta nodded to her and spoke again. “This door will lead you into a vast maze of corridors. You must navigate through the maze by whatever means necessary, using both memory and deductive reasoning. You will have twenty minutes to start with. This will not be enough time. Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, you will not be alone in this endeavor.”

“I won't be alone?” Marina echoed, arching an eyebrow.

“Indeed. Her Red Grace does not refer to this test as the Kill Maze for nothing,” Rhetta told her evenly. “Within these corridors lurk many desperate, angry creatures. They will attempt to kill you on sight, and will track your movements mercilessly. You must kill them in order to proceed forward. Each kill will gain you one minute on the clock. If time runs out before you reach the end of the maze, well... you won't need to worry much about it. If you succeed, then you will have passed every one of the councils tests. Any objections?”

Marina blinked, feeling a chill run through her hearts at the premise of this test. It wasn't as if death was new to her; she'd been designing machines with the explicit purpose of killing her enemies since she was ten years old. However, the notion of being trapped in a place that was full of unknown creatures that wanted her blood was both new and terrifying. She'd always been the predator, never the prey. There was no turning back at this point though. Marina knew she had to go through with this to whatever end it was destined to have. 

“No objections, ma'am.” she told Rhetta firmly.

“Good,” Rhetta nodded. She walked over to the door and scanned her keycard into a panel on the wall beside it, causing it to beep and then open. The corridor beyond was dark and smelled strongly of dust and metal. “Your clock begins the moment this door closes. I look forward to seeing your results.”

“Thank you, ma'am.” Marina murmured. 

The black-haired Octoling took a deep breath to steel her resolve, and then stepped into the maze. The door closed behind her, and for a moment there was only darkness. Then, dim red lights flicked on from the walls; casting an eerie glow along the pathway. It was difficult to see even with the lights, and the only sounds were that of her own footsteps and her own hearts beating. Never before had Marina been in a state of such deafening, isolated silence.

She knew the clock was ticking, and so she took a deep breath and quickly darted forward into the darkness. The pathway she was currently on was fairly linear, and so far she didn't see any other signs of life. It became apparent fairly quickly that her goggles limited her vision considerably, and so she removed them and allowed them to loosely hang from her neck instead. Night vision was not a current feature of their design, and Marina made a mental note to get on designing a new version that did have a night-vision feature as soon as she got home. 

It wasn't long before she came to a choice of two hallways. Each of the paths looked identical to the one she was just on, with no obvious signs of one being a more logical choice than the other. There was still no sound beyond her own feet, and no other hints to go off of, so Marina made the choice to take the right path. 

For a little while, nothing really happened. Every time Marina came to a fork in the road, she'd try to glean any hints about if it was the correct direction or not, and if there was nothing to go off of then she'd make a random choice and keep pressing forward. 

She hadn't seen any of these supposedly 'desperate and angry' creatures that were trying to kill her yet, but the further into the maze she went, the more her paranoia began flaring up. Marina was not a paranoid person by nature (she was actually fairly calm most of the time), but something about looking down seemingly endless dark hallways bathed in red set her on edge, and every slight sound she made had her checking her surroundings for incoming attacks.

It wasn't long before things would change, though. As she rounded a corner, Marina heard a slight scraping sound. For a second she thought that her Brella had brushed up against the metal wall or floor of the corridor, but when she glanced over her shoulder a flash of blue entered her vision. 

Dodge-rolling off to the side on instinct, the black-haired Octoling barely evaded as a Roller came crashing down on the spot where she just was. The wielder of the Roller hissed something out in a foreign language, before standing and swinging the Roller again. Marina dodged again, and swiftly aimed her Brella. It was then that she noticed _what_ exactly she was fighting against.

This creature was an Inkling.

It had blue hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and ghastly pale, almost gray flesh. Its eyes were wide and feral, with dark markings that seemed to exaggerate the wild look in its gaze. Marina felt her face twist into a repulsed snarl as she instinctively bared her fangs at the creature. Hate, hot and red as the lights in the corridors, filled her instantly. 

Inklings were enemies that deserved no mercy, as her teachers and her mother had always drilled into her for as long as she existed. They were the sole reason why her people were made to suffer in this rocky prison. This test suddenly made a lot more sense. This wasn't just mindless killing or survival; this was proving that she had what it took to destroy the enemies of her people to the furthest possible end.

The Inkling hissed again and leaped at her with a high-pitched screech. Marina blocked its attack with her Brellas defensive mode, however the impact bent the Brellas metal frame inward and ripped its cover. There was no time to fix it though, and so Marina moved it as best she could before firing off several shots of her own reddish-purple ink. Most of the shots made direct contact, and the Inkling fell to the ground with a pained gasp. It didn't move again.

“Ugh... vile thing...” Marina muttered, before turning her attention to her broken Brella. “Damn... I don't think I can fix this here.” 

The clock was still counting down, and the extra minute she'd just gotten shouldn't be wasted. Marina carefully closed the Brella again as best she could, before strapping it to her back again. She picked up the Inklings Roller instead. It felt too bulky and heavy in her hands, but it was her only option for now. Maybe she could find a lighter weapon to use later on. 

Upon being touched, the Roller's ink faded from blue to reddish-purple, as if it accepted that it now had a new master. Marina carried on without looking back at the Inkling on the floor. She sprinted through the narrow corridors, wondering when the next vile creature would show up to attempt to fight her. 

She was surprised that it died in only a few shots, but then again the few times she'd seen these things in person in the past they never seemed overly durable. Gods only knew how such a weak race managed to overtake the Octarians during the Great War. What an insult!

As time went on, more and more Inklings appeared to challenge her. It was unknown where they came from or how they knew where she was, but they were all weak and easily overpowered. Marina swapped out the Roller for a Shot-style weapon at the first opportunity, and while she wasn't quite as adept at wielding it as Rhetta was, she found that it was fairly easy to use. 

The maze was long and winding, with only the subtlest hints about which direction was correct. Despite being utterly exhausted from the strenuous activities had throughout the day, Marina found that adrenaline and paranoia were keeping her reasonably alert. The heat of the place was suffocating, though, and the constant battles were getting harder and harder to endure.

Several times, she ended up going back on herself unknowingly; finding bodies of the slain Inklings or other markers she'd left for herself and needing to find a new path to try out. It became frustrating when several paths led back to the same intersections, demanding that she backtrack even further in order to find a new route to take.

Eventually, Marina came upon a hallway that was much longer than the others. Concerned about her time, she decided to make a push for it and sprint along the path as quickly as her pained muscles would allow her to. She knew she'd be feeling this in the morning (and likely for several mornings afterwards), but that didn't matter as long as she finished. The pathway ended in a simple steel door; identical to the one she entered through when first starting this test.

“I swear if I'm back at the start, I'm going to scream...” the black-haired Octoling gasped, leaning against the door a bit and pounding on it as she tried to catch her breath. 

After a moment, the door opened. There was an even longer hallway beyond the door; dark, but with a light at the far end. A cold breeze rushed to greet her, allowing for much-needed relief from the heat of the maze. The door closed again a moment after she stepped through it. 

“Well done, Marina.” a voice spoke from somewhere unseen. 

Marina blinked, recognizing the voice as being Alayla's. “Red Grace,” she said instinctively, placing her hand over her hearts and bowing her head slightly.

“Place your backpack down there, and then take the tunnel at the end of the hallway,” Alayla instructed her.

“Yes, ma'am,” Marina nodded, removing the backpack. “Um... can I ask what this item was meant to be used for? I did not require its help throughout the test...” she asked, unsure if Alayla could even hear her. Marina had almost forgotten that she was even carrying the strange device. Its purpose was still unclear, but she did as she was told and placed it on the ground next to the door.

Alayla did not respond. Marina figured that meant that she didn't hear her question, or did not see it as being worth answering. Regardless, though, she'd been given her orders. The black-haired Octoling carried on to the end of the tunnel until she came to another kettle. Phasing into her octopus form, she made her way through to wherever she was headed. 

She did not hear the sounds of a high-pitched series of beeps, followed by the sound of a small explosion from the spot beside the door.

\--

When Marina emerged at the new location, she found herself stood in the middle of a grand chamber. The walls were lined with marble blocks that were laced with traces of shining metals. The chamber resembled a half-circle, with elevated platforms bearing fancy desks and chairs which lined both sides. 

Each desk had a flag pinned to the wall above it, each of seven different colours and symbols. At the head of the room was a massive platform, which was adorned with golden statues and stalks of wasabi. A large, royal looking chair was placed there, shining red and gold in the light.

Each of the platforms had an Octoling sat at it, except for the platform bearing the teal flag. Marina felt her hearts nearly stop at the sight of the _entire_ council sitting before her. Even more-so than them, however, Marina felt her hearts nearly stop when her gaze fell upon the occupant of the large and royal chair. The black-haired Octoling immediately fell to one knee, bowing her head low in complete submission. 

“Leader Octavio,” she murmured, both awestruck and intimidated to be standing so close to the Octarian warlord.

“Rise,” Octavio said. His voice was deep and gravely with age, though still strong and carrying the weight of complete authority.

Marina obeyed him without question, remaining silent. 

Octavio stared down at her for a moment, before a brief smile crossed his lips. “Well done, little octo. For one so young, you've shown yourself to be a fearless killer. Out of the twenty total Ink-scum in that labyrinth, sixteen were slain.”

“Thank you, sir.” Marina said, internally bouncing a bit to know that her leader was pleased with her. 

“Today, you have done what few managed to do all in one go; you have completed the four trials of the Council of The Light. However, there is still one more thing that you must do before taking the official title of the Teal Light...” Octavio continued.

Marina blinked, a sense of dread washing over her. One more test?! What _else_ did they expect her to do?! As it was, even just standing here now was proving to be a strain on her body now that the adrenaline from the maze was waning. Any further testing would surely result in immediate failure!

Octavio laughed then, loud and heartily. “There is no need to look so afraid. This is a test I believe you'll quite like, and will not be completed today by any means.”

“O-oh...” Marina said, mildly embarrassed that she'd been so easy to read.

Octavio smirked a bit, clearly amused. “As your final gateway to entry into my elite council, I officially task you with building a machine for me. Something impressive. Something we've never seen before. Something that your dear mother would be proud of. I expect to see a working prototype in two months. Assemble your best team and lead them to victory.”

“Understood, sir!” Marina agreed, placing her hand over her hearts and bowing to him. 

So Octavio wanted an impressive machine, the likes of which had never been seen before? Designing new machines unlike anything else was her life's passion! The designing part would be relatively easy, but having a prototype ready in two months would be a challenge. 

Most large-scale projects took several months just to plan and organize. Granted, he didn't specifically say he wanted something large-scale, but Marina wanted to present him with something grand regardless.

The purpose of this test was immediately clear as well. It was intended to show how well she could lead her people, and how well her people would support her leadership. Unlike the previous tests, this was something that would simply be impossible to accomplish alone. 

She'd need to have people working to build and test it around the clock if she wanted any chance of making this happen. Still, though, no one should ever underestimate the Teal camp. Marina was confident in their skills, and her own. She knew that this would be possible, one way or another. 

So long as she had faith in her people, and her people had faith in her, they could pull together to achieve anything.

\--

“AAAAH! YOU'RE BACK! HOW WAS IT????”

“Hello to you too, Iwalani.” Marina grimaced, flinching a bit at the other Octolings excited voice and tight grip as she hugged her. 

On her way home, Marina had sent messages to the twins to let them know that she was finished with her testing. She knew that they'd want to hear about it sooner rather than later, but she didn't expect them to be waiting outside her living space when she arrived back. Iwalani immediately became excited and tackle-hugged her, bouncing as she waited to hear all about it.

“Oh my god, what am I going to do with you?” Nephthys sighed, once again grabbing her sister's back-plate and yanking her off of the younger Octoling.

“Eeeep! Lemme go!” Iwalani gasped, flailing as she attempted to break free.

Marina watched the two of them for a moment, before bursting out laughing. Perhaps it was the fact that she was utterly exhausted, or she just really needed a laugh after the strain of the testing, but seeing the twins' antics again was exactly what she needed.

“Come on then,” the dark-skinned Octoling said, vaguely waving for the twins to follow her inside. “I know she wont settle until she knows everything, and I know you're just as curious as well, Nephthys.”

“Never denied it,” Nephthys said coolly, following behind Marina while still dragging her sister along behind her. 

Iwalani was still making a big show of fighting, even though everyone knew full well that she was fully capable of getting free at any point in time. It was then that the two of them caught sight of the bent and ripped Brella that was still strapped to Marina's back.

“Oh god, what happened to your weapon?!” Nephthys asked, releasing Iwalani (who staggered and ended up falling over onto the stone walkway with a yelp) and tentatively reaching for the broken Brella, as if she wanted to try and repair it right then and there.

“Oh... it was damaged during the final phase of testing,” Marina explained as she stepped inside. “I'll fix it back up sometime later.”

When everyone was inside and settled, Marina carefully removed the Brella and set it aside, before she immediately flopped into the nearest chair and released a long, weary sigh. She looked like she could fall asleep at any moment.

“Jeeze, that rough huh?” Iwalani asked gently, sitting on the floor in front of Marina, as if she were a child expecting a story from an elder. 

“You have _no_ idea,” Marina told her, forcing herself to sit up so that she wouldn't dose off. “If I'm able to move at _all_ tomorrow, it'll be a miracle.”

“If you need to rest, we can always talk about things tomorrow?” Nephthys offered gently.

“It's alright,” Marina told her, sitting up more and shaking her head a bit. “I probably shouldn't go to bed too early anyway, to be honest.” she added, eyeing a small clock that was perched on a nearby shelf which told her that it was only just after three in the afternoon. 

It felt like it should have been so much later; but then again the longest part of the testing had been the medical checkups beforehand. Lady Rhetta's tests were all timed, and three out of four took less than fifteen minutes to complete despite their grueling and straining nature.

“So what'd they have ya do?” Iwalani prodded, smiling from where she sat on the floor.

Marina wasn't sure if she was technically allowed to talk about the testing process, but then again no one had explicitly told her that she _wasn't_ allowed to talk about it, so she figured it was probably fine. The twins listened in eager silence as Marina explained what she'd been doing throughout the day, both supremely interested to hear how their council members were chosen. 

“Woaaaah, so you actually got to fight against Lady Rhetta one on one?!” Nephthys asked, awed. 

“Mmhmm, and she totally beat me into the ground,” Marina chuckled, shaking her head a bit. “Someday I'd like to fight her again to see if I could actually win against her.”

“That's so cooool,” Iwalani grinned, bringing her knees up to her chest and rocking back and forth a bit with little bursts of energy. “That maze thing sounds wicked as well. I wanna get to wreck some Inklings too!”

“You think you could make it that far?” Nephthys teased, prodding her sister with her foot. “I've seen how long your stamina lasts during our morning exercises...”

“Eh, minor details,” Iwalani waved her off. She looked back up at Marina then, grinning widely. “We should have a party when you're feeling better! We haven't been dancing at Lady Errita's club in ages!”

“A party?” Marina asked, amused. “For what? Nothing's even been decided yet! Besides, we're gonna have to focus everything we've got on completing the Leader's final request. We won't have time for anything else until that gets done anyway...”

“Yeah... hmm... something large and impressive...” Nephthys murmured, leaning back in her chair and looking thoughtful. “We'll brainstorm some ideas, and then we'll have to get everyone together to get a rough plan in place. Do you know who you want on this team yet?” she asked curiously.

“Mmm... I'll think about it tonight,” Marina told her carefully. “I don't want to make any promises just yet. To be honest, I think there's gonna have to be at least two or three full teams in place if we want any chance of getting whatever it ends up being working within two months. Coordinating everyone is going to be a nightmare... everyone's going to have to be in constant communication with each other about what their plans are on any given day, so I'll need to figure out how to organize all of that well in advance as well...”

“Sounds good,” Nephthys nodded understandingly, knowing full well that organizing a new project always had its ups and downs for even the best coordinators.

“By the way, Zenais has been being really bossy again,” Iwalani said, flopping back onto the floor dramatically. “She's been in a right foul mood all day long for whatever reason.”

“You do realise that if I do become the Teal Light, I'll have to start being really bossy too, right?” Marina asked, even though she did understand. Zenais had a way of rubbing people the wrong way and often came off as though she thought she was better than others in the way she spoke to them.

“Yeah I know,” Iwalani nodded. “Feels different with you, though. People respect you, y'know?”

Marina shrugged. “Dunno what I've really done that's any different than what anyone else has done, but thanks. All I can really do is just take things one step at a time and hope for the best, come what may.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Featured characters:  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Marina-Character-Sheet-753719807  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Rhetta-Character-Sheet-753247013  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Iwalani-Character-Sheet-757068837  
> https://www.deviantart.com/strayhowl/art/Nephthys-Character-Sheet-757069073


End file.
